From his formative years in the noteworthy duo Dylan & Lenny through his tenure in the formidable supergroup The Academy, Lenny Tavárez has been a constant presence in reggaetón and Latin trap. On 2021’s KRACK, fans finally got a clearer picture of the Puerto Rican mainstay’s artistry outside of the myriad team-ups and posse-based hits. For this full-length follow-up, his solo journey continues as he branches out into somewhat unexpected styles while still holding onto his core. “My aim is to inspire people to do what they set their minds to, to dare and shine,” Tavárez tells Apple Music. “I’m taking the risk of making a very versatile album.” Throughout BRILLAR, the risks he takes are calculated, if commercial, easing into the sleek R&B of “VAQUERITA” and revelling in the house-music thump of “PUSHI PASHI” and “TU PIEL”. With help from the esteemed Sergio George, he transforms “EL YATE” from reliable perreo into a thrilling salsa session. That taste for tropical vibes comes through strongly on the Prince Royce collab “TU FEO”, a timely bachata blend that further broadens his pop potential. Still, the bulk of Tavárez’s album revolves around reggaetón, with some support from the likes of Ryan Castro, Feid and Wisin. Below, Tavárez tells the story behind some of the album’s key songs. “BRILLAR” “Being the album’s name, this song is very important. I love it. I feel like it is another type of reggaetón that reminds of old times through new sounds. Its ending passage fascinates me. I tend to leave the best bars for the end. I do that all the time. I worked on this one with MadMusick, and I decided to start the album with this sound.” “TU FEO” (feat. Prince Royce) “This is a bachata, a genre that I’m exploring for the first time. It is a collaboration with King Swift and the musicians of Prince Royce. While composing it, I drew inspiration from ‘Corazón Sin Cara’, my favourite Prince Royce track. Making a bachata was on my bucket list, so, luckily, it became a reality, as well as one of my favourite songs. It is also funny and joyful. I believe this is the prevailing energy of the album. It is quite a daring record, and this tune ticked all of the boxes.” “EMPELOTICA” (feat. Feid) “One of my faves. One day, Feid called me and said, ‘Bro, if you are in Miami, come to the studio.’ We ended up making ‘EMPELOTICA’ with MadMusick and King Swift. As for the theme, we wanted the girl to feel good and pretty. When she listens to the song, we want her to look at herself and get a beautiful vibe. And we succeeded.” “OJOS CHINOS” (feat. Ryan Castro) “An extremely fun perreo with Ryan Castro. It is also a collaboration with King Swift, the producer who works with my tracks the most, and with whom I recorded the album’s vocals. Funnily enough, there is a change in the song’s speed: when I appear and then when Ryan does. The tempo varies, and we play with that a little. During the production stage, we tried something which, in my view, feels new and fresh.” “LA ERA” “This is a perreo with MadMusick. It reflects my vision of a certain phase that the world was going through. I started working on this piece during a time when I felt the planet was experiencing the ‘bellaquera era’, a strike of lust and sexual overflow. It was a strong and heavy era of reggaetón.” “EL DESTINO” “It is an EDM song. Basically, it is the healing melody of the album, its plaster. The purpose is to tell the girl that I came to make her feel good and to heal her. However, in order to do so, she has to put herself first and give her best. It also belongs to the record’s sweet theme related to shining and brilliance. This track completes the energy of the entire project.” “EL YATE (Versión Salsa)” (feat. Sergio George) “A very important song that means a lot to me as a composer. Different artists requested it, along with many other people who wanted it for different purposes. I was keeping it as a project of my own, one that would represent something big. This is why I set it aside for this album. It is a salsa with Sergio George. He made it seem like an easy thing. It was a live production with Puerto Rican musicians. I had never made a salsa, nor collaborated live with performers. Sergio completely mastered the session. Seeing him work was simply amazing. This was my favourite piece to create.”